As powerful as our legs are, as magnificent as our lungs and arms and muscles are, nothing matters more than the mind.

For me, challenging myself with this type of endeavor [ultramarathons] brings the best out in me because even at the darkest, deepest moments when I feel like I can't go on, when I feel like there's no chance I could break the record or much less finish the trail, somehow I find that strength inside of me.

We strive toward a goal, and whether we achieve it or not is important, but it's not what's most important. What matters is how we move toward that goal.

But the longer and further I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind- a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.

Train at your current fitness level, or slightly above — not where you want to be.

You can hurt more than you ever thought possible, then continue until you discover that hurting isn't that big a deal.

As powerful as our legs are, as magnificent as our lungs and arms and muscles are, nothing matters more than the mind.